Efforts are underway to address what local experts are calling a growing opioid problem in Washtenaw County, including rising heroin use.

Heroin deaths for Washtenaw County residents doubled from 13 to 26 between 2012 and 2013, according to the Washtenaw County Public Health Department.

Experts from community-based nonprofit agencies, safety-net clinics, hospitals, the public health department and law enforcement are now working together on a strategic plan expected to be unveiled this summer to address the problem.

Heroin usage has become a prevalent, and deadly, force all around Washtenaw County, police say.File Photo | MLive.com

The Washtenaw Health Initiative Opioid Project, which kicked off last July, represents a unification of efforts across the county to address prevention, addiction and overdose deaths, project leaders said.

The effort is being led by the county health department, Washtenaw Community Health Organization and the Regional Substance Abuse Coordinating Agency.

"We can't just arrest our way out of this situation," said Derrick Jackson, director of community engagement at the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.

As more money is made selling illegal drugs, Jackson said, the possibility of street-level violence increases.

"With the heroin problem continuing to grow, our concern is that 'gang-type' behavior will also grow and evolve," he said.

The WHI Opioid Project includes a focus on the needs of people addicted to opioids — specifically heroin and prescription pain medications — and their families.

Project leaders said the plan to be unveiled this summer will focus on six areas: physician knowledge of opioid abuse, drug availability, criminal justice and enforcement, individual behaviors, community norms, and environment and policy.

"It is critical that all areas are addressed simultaneously," said Adreanne Waller, project co-chair and an epidemiologist with the health department.

"We also need to understand cultural and economic factors that have contributed to this epidemic," she added. "The strategic plan will stimulate action within the community and identify resources to support new initiatives."

Community groups interested in joining the WHI Opioid Project can contact Waller at wallera@ewashtenaw.org.

New data released by the health department provides a picture of the rising opioid problem in Washtenaw County:

Drug-related deaths for Washtenaw County residents increased more than 80% between 2000 and 2011.

In 2012, drug-related deaths were responsible for more years of life lost than lung and breast cancer, pneumonia, influenza, and HIV combined for Washtenaw County residents. The majority of these deaths involved opioids, both illicit and prescription.

In the first half of 2013, there were nearly as many heroin-related emergency department visits (52) at the University of Michigan and St. Joseph Mercy Hospitals as in all of 2012 (69).

The proportion of Washtenaw County middle school students who said they had ever abused painkillers increased 30% between 2010 and 2012 (from 11% to 14%, respectively), according to the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth.

WHI Opioid Project members are analyzing county-level opioid statistics to develop their strategy to better prevent overdoses and deaths.

Marci Scalera, project co-chair and director of the Regional Substance Abuse Coordinating Agency, said project leaders are following federal recommendations for a multi-sector response to the problem.

Local health professionals caution that opioid addiction can cause death and other problems such as liver and kidney disease, hepatitis and depression. They also note it can lead to social challenges in employment, education and family dynamics.

The city of Saline, where heroin use has been a concern among city leaders, created what's called the Saline Addiction Prevention Task Force earlier this year. Police Chief Larry Hrinik couldn't be reached for comment on the latest with that initiative.

Ann Arbor officials also have been discussing problems with heroin use in the community, including overdoses that have happened at the downtown library, which library leaders said has been used as a drop point for heroin dealers.

Heather Guenther, a spokeswoman for the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, said Saline and Ann Arbor are members of the Washtenaw Health Initiative, but have not had representatives attend WHI Opioid Project meetings yet.

Project leaders are inviting Ann Arbor and Saline city officials to a June 2 project meeting to help finalize the countywide strategic plan. Once the plan is unveiled later this summer, both cities are expected to be involved in its implementation.

"Lowering drug-related deaths and overdoses in our community requires a unified approach and local government is only one of many agencies playing an important role in forming — and later, implementing — the countywide strategic plan," Guenther said.

Carrie Rheingans, WHI's project manager, said members of the group are doing individual — but coordinated, so they don't duplicate — outreach to a variety of local agencies, and possibly also state elected officials as well.